NASA Artemis II astronaut shares emotional post after historic Moon mission

The Artemis II mission has successfully concluded, opening a new chapter in human spaceflight and deep space exploration. The 10-day mission travelled a record distance of 406,773 km from Earth and tested key systems for future lunar missions.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy R. Hansen posted his first emotional message after the successful mission return, in which he described both the historic spaceflight and his personal achievement.

He wrote in French, "With a launch on April 1st, I got back in time for my 23rd wedding anniversary with Catherine! I was so delighted to be able to show her in person this photo of my wedding ring in weightlessness… and to spend a moment holding her tight here on Earth."

NASA Artemis II mission sets new space record

The Artemis II mission became the first crewed journey to the Moon’s vicinity in over 50 years. The crew travelled 406,773 kilometres from Earth, which exceeded the distance established by the Apollo 13 mission.

The crew of the mission included NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, together with Jeremy Hansen. The Artemis II mission tested critical systems of the Orion spacecraft, which completed its preparation for the upcoming Artemis III lunar landing.

Hansen became famous for being the first person from Canada and the first person other than Americans who has journeyed outside low Earth orbit.

He expressed his happiness about coming back home to celebrate his 23rd wedding anniversary and explained how he brought back a photo of his wedding ring floating in air that was taken during the mission.

The Artemis II mission also delivered rare observations. The crew witnessed a solar eclipse from space that lasted 54 minutes. They recorded flashes on the Moon's surface which occurred during meteoroid impacts and generated scientific data.